


Unbonded

by fadedlullabyes



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alpha!Bucky, Alpha!Clint, Alpha!Natasha, Alpha!Tony, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta!Bruce, Beta!Jane, Clint can't bond, Demisexuality, F/M, M/M, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Past Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Slow Build, Soul Bond, Stark tower is a home to the avengers, Steve Feels, Steve can't bond, Steve is demisexual, Steve was an omega, a/b/o dynamics, affectionate!Clint, cute!clint, generous!Tony, regressed!Steve
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-21
Updated: 2014-05-21
Packaged: 2018-01-26 00:47:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1668599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fadedlullabyes/pseuds/fadedlullabyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve Rogers knew the serum would change his body. It had pushed his biology until he was no longer an Omega and he wasn't even able to bond. He was a one of kind in a society where everyone was an Alpha,Beta, or Omega. Steve accepted his fate without batting an eyelash but as time wore on, he found he couldn't bond to the one person who had mattered to him. </p><p>When Steve is pulled from the ice and people try to date him because he doesn't have a status, he's treated as a commodity. He puts the stop to dating and goes on with his life. That is, until AIM takes away his body and he's left in his original form minus being an Omega. He starts to bond with Clint and finds himself falling for the Alpha. But will the fact that Steve can't bond get in the way?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unbonded

Moving had always been a chore Steve Rogers tried to avoid his whole life. When his mother had passed away, Steve had moved in with Bucky. The argument between them lasted for days until Steve finally gave in. He should have known that his best friend was just as stubborn as he was. Bucky had a damn good reason though for moving Steve in. Steve had been an unmated Omega and it was dangerous for him to live alone. Any Alpha could have laid claim to Steve against his will and no one would have batted an eye. 

It was an ugly truth of the nineteen-forties and Steve had spoken on it several times since he had been discovered. At first, he hadn’t been able to get his bearings but the more time he spent around technology, the better he got at using it. Steve knew it wasn’t rocket science and he always had been a fast learner. A few months had been all Steve needed in order to master everything. He was still working on the list he kept in his pocket slowly. There had been hardly any time when Bucky was still out in the world and Steve had went after him. 

Months of scouring the globe had Steve turning up empty until Bucky had cornered him in a hotel in Italy. It had been on a night when Steve would have started his heat cycle, if he had still been an Omega that was. The conversation that night had been devastating for his friend. Bucky hadn’t remembered the fact that Steve was not an Omega any longer. He wasn’t even an Alpha or Beta. Steve was simply Steve. He didn’t have the chemistry that made up one of the three genders of human society anymore. 

Steve had spent the night consoling Bucky and telling him that it was a decision Steve didn’t regret. He had known the risks of the serum and had been aware that his status would change. Erskine had gone over that with Steve first and Steve, being the person he was, told the doctor it didn’t matter. Steve had wanted to save lives and he could do that with Project Rebirth. After everything was done, he never looked back. 

It had been liberating for Steve to be rid of his Omega status. He didn’t have to suffer through his heats or ask Bucky to help him through them if were too much. The loss of intimacy during heat was missed but Steve felt it was for a good reason. He was helping his country by becoming Captain America and putting a stop to HYDRA. Steve never stopped once he had started the campaign, the need to stop the enemy drove him forward. 

Of course everyone thought he had a thing for Peggy and if it had been a different life, Steve probably would have went for her. He was already committed to the job of Captain America because Steve knew that no one would want to settle down with someone who couldn’t provide a bond. 

He had learned that particular lesson the hard way. Steve had thought that even though he was no longer an Omega, he could still bond with someone of his choosing. It had been a thought that got him through the procedure and after it, kept him going after Bucky. When he had found his best friend in the HYDRA lab, strapped to a table, he swore right then and there he would bond with Bucky. 

It had taken only a week for Bucky to heal up which had been concerning to Steve. Something had been done to him while he’d been under the care of HYDRA. Even Bucky couldn’t tell Howard what he had been shot up with since he had been so out of it. Steve had done his best with Bucky and when he was healed up, he asked Bucky if he wanted to bond. The answer hadn’t been surprising and they had tried. God, had they tried. 

Steve had never been so devastated in his life when he learned he couldn’t form a bond. He spent the night trying to drink an entire bar and only got a buzz for his trouble. A bond was sacred between a mated couple, it was a mental connection but for Steve, it was nothing. He wasn’t able to make that bond that was drove so many to find their other half. The serum hadn’t only messed with his body, but other aspects of him. 

Bucky had found him the next morning with his head on a counter and a half-glass of whiskey. Steve had left the bar with Bucky without saying a word. They hadn’t discussed what would happen between them now since Steve couldn’t bond. There had been options between them before Bucky was taken from him on the train. 

After waking up, finding someone to bond with had never crossed Steve’s mind. He was the sort of person who could only have sex if he were in love with them. Steve had tried numerous to have casual sex after the ice but his heart wasn’t in it. He had tried with the few relationships he had but there was just wasn’t a connection. The fact Steve couldn’t bond had nothing to do with his sexuality. He was the sort of man who fell in love with a personality first, gender was never really a problem since he was no longer an Omega. 

He still found the male gender more attractive and Steve thought maybe he could find happiness there. So far, he hadn’t and it was just this side of making him crazy. Steve just wanted to have something to himself, a relationship that was all his own. The idea had been abandoned a few months ago because Steve knew it was impossible. 

Some of the people he had dated understood Steve. They had regarded him with pity in their eyes when they found out the truth. It was disheartening but Steve didn’t mind parting on good terms. It gave him a few new friendships outside of the Avengers and a sense of normality when he needed something mundane. Steve had regarded these people with reverence because they never once treated him as though he were a freak. 

It was disconcerting to think he was the only person in the world who couldn’t bond. He thought surely there would be others out there who had the same problem he did but for all the research Steve had done, he had come up empty handed. He stopped when it became apparent that he was the only person who couldn’t bond. Sometimes he was treated as a commodity by some people just so they could say they had dated the man who wasn’t an Omega, Alpha, or Beta. 

Steve sometimes wished he had the shackles back of belonging to such a society but then he would remember what it had been like and he couldn’t bring himself to wish that on anyone. It was hard being stuck in such a bind because Steve yearned to be an Omega again but he didn’t want the trouble that came with it. This was something he couldn’t run away from but he desperately wanted something he would never have. It was a conundrum Steve would never wake from because when it boiled down to the truth, he wasn’t wanted. He was a defective human being despite the good he does on a daily basis. He may fight to save the world and those he loved, but Steve knew that was all he good for. 

And now he was, moving into Stark Tower because Tony had asked him to. Bucky had been invited as well and surprisingly had taken Tony up on his offer. It was strange to be in the living space as Bucky and for them to be in separate rooms. Once they had shared a room and a bed but that was the past and Steve could see the way Bucky glanced at Natasha. His friend would get his ass handed to him by the other Alpha, but he could see them working perfectly. It was probably a good he had never bonded with Bucky because Steve could see him with Natasha for the rest of their lives if she let him in. 

Steve wouldn’t interfere. The natural relationship between Bucky and Natasha would have to run its course. He would probably have to bribe Tony to keep out of their business as well. Clint was given a free pass because of his relationship with Natasha. The two agents were like siblings and Steve knew how dependent they were on each other. Bucky would be watched like a hawk but it was just how Clint was. Steve accepted that part about him long ago when they had first talked after the battle. 

Loki’s possession over Clint was never held against him. Steve had never questioned Clint’s loyalty after the mind control had been broken and had been impressed when he saw how determined Barton had been. Loki had left a festering wound in Clint and Steve knew it had been hard for Clint to put himself back together. It was inspiring though to see someone recover like that. It made Steve wish that he could be like Clint and get his life back together. 

Loneliness was something Steve had never dealt with well. When his mother worked late hours, Bucky had always been there at his house keeping him company. Even his stint in the USO had proved to be less than lonely because of the girls. They had felt safe around Steve because he wasn’t an Alpha and they didn’t feel threatened because he wasn’t a Beta or Omega. They accepted him as a brother and he had never felt such a kinship except with Bucky, the Commandos, and now The Avengers. 

The others knew of Steve’s status and how he couldn’t bond because of the various interviews. He had, of course, told them in person because he had felt it was the right thing to do. What he didn’t mention were the failed relationships and the sex. Steve couldn’t bring himself to divulge that information because he knew Tony would joke about it, even if it was in good nature and not mean to hurt Steve. He was ashamed of it really and he didn’t want to deal any further with those feelings. All he wanted to do was bury them deep and continue on with his work. 

With S.H.I.E.L.D. down the world still needed some form of protection and it started with The Avengers Initiative. Tony had no problems housing the team and funding it once it became apparent that some sort of team was needed. Steve was grateful for the offer after finding Bucky because he didn’t have a job any longer and he knew that drifting wasn’t really his style. Steve needed something to keep his mind occupied and this line of work definitely did it for him. There was never a day’s rest and Steve couldn’t really hold down any other job along with The Avengers. He had the money he made from S.H.I.E.L.D. put away so he wouldn’t mooch off Tony too much. And Bucky had so damn much money squirrelled away as The Winter Soldier that he was a millionaire a few times over. Steve never asked about his fortune because it was a sore subject. 

Steve also had a feeling that if he pushed, Natasha would more than likely gut Steve. It was sickening how protective over Bucky she was but he understood. She knew that at one point Bucky and Steve had loved each other but their time apart had dulled the feelings even though they still loved each other. It was unwritten that they would always be closer than friends but never cross the line to lovers again. 

Natasha was perfectly fine with how they were. She knew there would always be that what if between Steve and Bucky. She wasn't jealous, just accepting because they knew each other like the back of their hands. The Pullman connection they shared couldn't be broken but it was okay. 

Steve stopped looking at the boxes in his room. He had been staring at them like they were poison. He knew what was in each box and he wasn't sure if he was ready to unpack. So many things could go wrong with the arrangement and people could get hurt. Steve avoided hurt as much as possible because he didn't have someone to hold and tell him it would be okay.

He didn't really have all that much; just clothes, his record player and records, and small mementos from the war. It was sad that he could fit his life into ten boxes. Steve wasn't really a materialistic person. He didn't really want anything; a by product of his upbringing and the era he had lived in. 

It'd been easy to explain how he had grown up in the thirties and early forties. Steve had enraptured an audience with tales of the odd jobs Bucky had taken just to keep Steve alive. The people had eaten it up and Steve had been asked to collaborate with an author to write a book on the subject. He wasn't sure if he wanted that just yet. Steve was a private person and he didn't know what to think about having his life story out there. It was a different thing when he was speaking because he could control the information that went out to the world. He didn't want someone publishing lies about him.

Cracking the bones in his neck, Steve decided it was time to unpack and attempt to settle into his new living quarters. He didn't know what the future would bring but Steve would embrace it the best he could. Steve was survivor, he’d certainly proved it several times over and this was no different really. He was used to the loneliness that had crept into his life. 

His team was great and they gave him a family; something he never thought he would have again. The Avengers were really something and Steve could only hope he led them well. It was unofficial, but he knew they looked up to him and he would do his best. They never once judged him for being different. If anything, they only encouraged him to make his own path. Steve would, but he would be alone in it because he knew, there was no one out there for him and he accepted that burden with a heavy heart. 

~*~

Waking up in medical wing of the tower hadn’t been on Steve’s itinerary for the day. In fact, he was always careful during missions so he wouldn’t end up there. His memories were a little fuzzy because the last thing he had remembered was that he had been fighting some AIM agents and then nothing. It was unusual for him to lose pieces of his memory like that and he needed answers right away. He had lost seventy years once and he hoped to god he hadn’t lost that much time again. Steve was sure he would go crazy if he had. 

He shoved his body up, mindful of the I.V.s that were snaking out of his arm and looping up to the stand. There was some comfort that he was attached to a breathing machine. That meant while his injuries had been serious, they hadn’t been life threatening. 

Steve glance down to his arm and he felt panic starting to seep in. His arm wasn’t muscled, it was long, gangly and lacked the shape he had distinctly remembered having. This wasn’t the body the serum had graced him with, it was his old one. He fell out of the bed in a tumble, wanting to get to the nearest mirror as soon as possible because he needed to see. Steve would need answers but right now, he had to prove himself that he was in his Omega body and attempt to deal with the consequences. 

The mirror in the bathroom was a full length one and Steve was thankful. The I.V. pole was behind, having been drug by the line that connected it to his body. His hair was still the same color as it always was, even if it was a bit longer than what he was used to. It had grown past his ears and Steve had to wonder just how long he had been gone for his hair to grow like. 

His nose was a sharp feature on his face, giving him that hawk like quality because his face was too small for his nose. His mother had told him that it gave him character and Bucky had said it always made Steve a striking figure and that if he had ever grown into it, he would be a handsome devil. Those words had kept Steve going and after the serum, Bucky had made it known just how well he had liked Steve’s new looks even if he had missed the smaller body. 

This was Steve’s nightmare come true. Everything that had made him special was gone and he knew that he hadn’t reverted back to an Omega. The biology that had plagued had been gone and he couldn’t feel it in the back of his mind like he used to. He was still just a man, someone who still unique and wasn’t chained to what they were. 

He reached a hand out and touched the face of his reflection in the mirror. He didn’t feel the asthma or the arrhythmia that had kept him from the army. Steve had been so sure when he had seen this body that his health problems would be back. So far he was good because it was like he just reverted back to his original but with none of the health problems. Steve wondered if he had kept any of his abilities and he knew this warranted an experiment. Tony would have been proud of him for using the term and he made a mental note to tell the man when he saw him. 

Steve stared at the bathroom door wondering if he should try to rip it off its hinges. The worst outcome would be he didn’t have any of his abilities left and he would just embarrass himself. The plus was that there was no one here right now and he wouldn’t have an audience. 

He squared his small shoulders and reached out to grab the door. Steve applied force to the wood and heard the satisfying crunch beneath his fingers. The wood splintered and he could feel it digging into his skin but he ignored it because of the euphoric feeling that was rushing through his veins. He was still able to stay in his line of work even though he didn’t have the body to back up his strength. There could also could be a limit to his strength as well. 

Tony would more than likely perform tests on him and not trust S.H.I.E.L.D. to do it. Steve groaned when he thought of Bruce and Tony prodding at him for hours. They would be like kids in a candy store and there would be nothing Steve would be able to do to stop them because he didn’t want to hurt him. He really was a kitten outside of the uniform as Bucky had pointed out one time in Europe. 

When he let go of the door, Steve wandered back to his bed. His body wasn’t aching which meant the serum had done its job and healed him. It made him wonder, though, just what the hell had happened to him that he couldn’t remember a damn thing and ended up in this body. He didn’t resent it as much as he thought he would. Of course he still had the gift that the serum had given him and that was more than likely part of the reason Steve had no trouble accepting his old body back. 

He sat on his bed, hands clasped between his knees because he needed to think. Obviously there was no one monitoring him because no one had walked in yet to check him over. He would have thought someone would have come running when he had splintered the door but it seemed they didn’t care or they weren’t aware. It could be that there was some emergency going on and everyone had been called away. 

“J.A.R.V.I.S., buddy, you online?” Steve asked as he looked to the ceiling. Surely the A.I. would have alerted Tony when he had woken up. It was a comforting feeling to know J.A.R.V.I.S. was there when no one else was. 

“I’m always online, Captain Rogers.” J.A.R.V.I.S. answered back smoothly. “Sir would have my hide if I were to dysfunction so I keep myself in pristine running condition.” 

Steve chuckled as he heard the petulant tone in the A.I.’s voice. It was a comforting to have the familiar accent of J.A.R.V.I.S. in his ear and made him feel that much better. He ran a hand through his hair before smiling up at J.A.R.V.I.S. knowing the A.I. could sense it. 

“That’s good to know. Hey, J.A.R.V.I.S., are the others in the tower?” Steve asked, straight to the point. As much as he liked the sentient being, Steve didn’t have the patience to bullshit around right now. He wanted answers and he needed them as far as possible. 

“They are, Captain. They merely wanted to wait until I cleared that you were your normal self before entering the medical wing. They were afraid that the changes to your body would have you reverting back to your Omega self and wanted to steer clear in case anything had been triggered. I tried to assure them that wasn’t the case but they wanted to err on the side of caution. Even the good Doctor Leslie had tried to persuade them that there would be no reversion.” 

“That’s great to hear, J.A.R.V.I.S. Would you send them up please? I’m ready to see them.” Steve stood and tried to root around for something other than a hospital gown.

He gave a small ‘whoop’ when he found a pair of sweatpants in a drawer and quickly pulled them on. It was obvious they were his but the problem was they didn’t quite fit anymore. They were a little too big around the waist but the drawstring was a godsend and he pulled it as tightly as he could. The pants pooled over his feet and made it hard to walk back to his bed. It was a problem he would have deal with until he shopped for new clothes. He dreaded the thought of Tony taking him and decided Clint or Natasha would be the perfect choice. He would have asked Bruce but sometimes the mall crowds were a little much and he didn’t want to put any unnecessary stress on Bruce. 

“Well, look who finally decided to join us. Those pants look a little big, Captain.” Tony’s voice was dry but Steve could hear the relief in the man’s voice. He was happy to see Steve awake and well. 

“What happened?” Steve asked, not bothering to sit as he crossed his arms. He didn’t want his team to keep anything from him so he put his best stern face on in hopes it would help him. 

“You don’t remember?” Natasha asked, moving forward and inspecting. Bucky was right behind her, his hands looking for any sort of injury. It was written in Bucky’s face just how worried he was and Steve could see the lines under his eyes from the stress and worry. 

“Not really,” Steve shrugged. “The last thing I do remember was that we were fighting AIM. That was really it.” 

“You’ve been out for two weeks.” Bucky said as he crushed Steve to his body. It was obvious he was searching for the scent that would have labeled Steve as an Omega but he wouldn’t find it. 

“Two weeks?” Steve hissed as he sucked his breath in. That wasn’t a lot of time but it was still time he could have used for other things. He had never been unconscious for that long and he had to wonder just what the hell had happened to him. 

“AIM injected you with something and knocked you out. They tried to take your body but Clint here had your ass covered and we thought it was a tranquilizer.” Tony butted in as he took a seat on the couch. 

Steve was still in Bucky’s embrace since it was a familiar comfort and he knew it was needed. He looked over to Natasha, knowing that he should check in with her if it was okay that he steal her mate’s attention for a bit. She only nodded, her eyes holding that sage knowledge they always had. Steve was grateful for it and just leaned more into Bucky who had no problem tightening his arms around Steve. 

“When I reached you, you were convulsing and I had no idea what the fuck was going on.” Clint stated as he took a step closer and pressed himself against Steve’s back. He knew the others still had instincts and that they needed to be comforted so Steve allowed the contact. He felt Clint rub his head against his temple, a sign that he was grateful that Steve was alive and well. Steve still remembered everything about the society he’d been ripped from and welcomed the contact. 

“When AIM retreated we moved you to the tower and Bruce performed every test he knew. There was no way to know what was going on with you and by the second night, you were changing. Your body was losing its muscle mass and you were in so much pain. Every so often you’d scream and there was nothing we could but strap you down with adamantium cuffs.” 

“The serum is still detectable in you but there are some limitations now.” Bruce finally spoke up and stepped closer to Steve. He laid a hand on Steve’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. “You don’t heal as fast anymore and anything that is a death wound will have you out of commission for quite some time. You’ll have to be more careful in the field.”

“Which will be impossible for this little punk.” Bucky stated fondly as he ruffled Steve’s hair and let him go. 

Clint still kept his grip on Steve like he was afraid Steve would disappear. He wondered at the strange behavior because while he and Clint were friends, he hadn’t realized just how much Clint had cared.

“I’ll do my best but I can’t really promise anything.” Steve answered with a crooked smile. 

“And there’s the boy scout smile he’s famous for.” Tony cracked as he stood from the bed and stretched. He pulled Bruce to him and gave him a kiss before passing by Steve and ruffling his hair. “C’mon, Sleeping Beauty, let’s go watch some T.V. and reassure ourselves that you’re alive and kicking.” 

Steve rolled his eyes and allowed Bruce to take out the I.V. It was weird seeing his arm bleed for a little before it stopped. He wiped it away with the edge of his hospital gown. He would have to change into something else before going down to the common area to watch a movie. 

“I gotta change first, Tony.” Steve said. “I can’t wear this damn gown for the rest of the day.”

“No problem, Cap. I’m sure Clint will love to escort you to your room.” Tony said with a wink before he took off for the common room. The others followed Tony while Clint kept a hand on the small of his back. 

Steve almost dying must have rattled everyone deeper than Steve had ever anticipated. He wanted to soothe their fears but he didn’t know how. He wasn’t an Omega anymore and he didn’t have the urge to just rub himself against them. It had been a long time since he had done that and it would just be awkward now. 

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” Clint said softly as they walked down to the hall and to the elevator. “Everyone was scared for a bit that you wouldn’t make it but when it was obvious you were going to pull through, they relaxed.”

“You never doubted that I would live, did you?” Steve asked as he looked up to Clint. It was weird having to look up at everyone now. He was back to his original height of five foot six and he was now shorter than Natasha. It would take some getting used to again because he was sure if there had been a way to restore his body, Bruce and Tony would have mentioned it by now. 

“Nope. You’re a survivor just like I am. You fight because you know there’s something better out there and you will do whatever it takes to reach and grab it.” Clint’s tone held experience and Steve desperately wanted to ask Clint about it but he was too polite to do that. He knew Loki’s possession over Clint had broken something in him but Clint had never divulged the information and Steve would never push for it. If Clint wanted to tell Steve, he would do it on his own time and not a moment before. 

“Thanks for believing in me.” Steve said as they stepped off the elevator and onto his floor. His apartment was pretty much the way he had left it and so Steve had no problem digging out a shirt and shucking his hospital gown off. The military had stripped him of any sense of propriety and he knew Clint wouldn’t mind. 

He knew his body was nothing to look at now and it really didn’t bother Steve. Maybe this was the opportunity he needed for people to stop throwing themselves at his feet and begging him to give them a chance. He would never fall in those people because their personality wasn’t all that attractive to Steve. He would more than likely fall for someone like Clint, who was steadfast and knew how to speak his mind even if it meant putting his foot in his mouth. 

“I’m ready.” Steve said as he turned around. Clint had been staring and Steve frowned just a little. There was nothing notable about his body now except for how compact and small it was. Steve knew it wasn’t all that attractive even though he was still a striking figure with his face. 

“The others are waiting.” Clint replied as they headed out of Steve’s apartment. 

The way to the common was filled with an awkward silence and Steve wondered if he had done something to make Clint uncomfortable. He hated making anyone that way and so he went over their interaction in his head. He hadn’t done anything untoward nor had he said anything out of line. Steve would just have to let it go for now and if it came up later, he would deal with it. 

It was a sight when they entered the living room. There was a space in the middle of his family that Steve knew was just for him. He wanted to protest that he didn’t need to be coddled but knew that everyone’s instincts were on high alert and they needed the reassurance that Steve was alive because they thought of him as family. 

Steve rolled his eyes and played it like he was annoyed as he sat down on the couch. Immediately Clint was sitting on his right side while Bucky occupied the space to his left. Tony and Bruce were on the floor but their shoulders kept in contact with his legs. Natasha had her feet in Steve’s lap and the only person missing was Thor who was back in his home world. Steve knew that once Thor returned, he would crush Steve with a hug and claim he would fight in Steve’s honor. It was a comforting thought but Steve didn’t want any sort of vengeance right now. 

He settled into Clint’s side and rested a hand on Natasha’s leg, gently stroking the smooth skin. When the movie began to play, he could feel his family relaxing. They weren't convinced just yet that Steve was okay, but it was a good start. He knew the mother henning was around the corner, especially Tony. Even though the Alpha would never admit it, he worried worse than any mother Steve knew. He would just have to make sure that he would give Tony the reassurance that he would be fine. 

Even though he had been out for two weeks, Steve could feel himself starting to drift off to sleep. He didn’t even know what movie they were watching but the familiar weight of everyone was enough to make him relax. Steve laid his head on Clint’s shoulder and fell asleep, his hand clutching the front of the other’s shirt.


End file.
